Nicosia, Cyprus. A United Nations initiative aimed at advancing efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem has already begun, Cyprus government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Tuesday. He said the initiative was initiated by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Government position on talks
Letymbiotis said President Nikos Christodoulides had made the initiative public after meeting Guterres in Brussels last month. He said the Greek Cypriot side is ready, if necessary even tomorrow, to participate in an enlarged meeting to resume negotiations from the point at which they were interrupted, in line with UN Security Council resolutions.
Erhurman’s comments and timing
Questions about a possible new initiative followed a social media post on Sunday by Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, who wrote that an initiative will begin in July after Cyprus completes its six-month term as holder of the Council of the European Union’s rotating presidency.
Reservations about an enlarged meeting
Erhurman has expressed reservations about an enlarged meeting involving the island’s two sides, the three guarantor powers Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom, and the United Nations, and criticised Christodoulides’ insistence on the format. He said the Greek Cypriot leadership has, in his words, always tried to address the Republic of Turkey rather than the Turkish Cypriot side.
Call for direct talks and confidence-building measures
Erhurman said he would rather discuss matters directly with the Greek Cypriot side. He said the two sides should meet face-to-face in Nicosia and make decisions on confidence-building measures aimed at making life easier for both Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot people.
Christodoulides and Guterres meetings
After meeting Guterres last month, Christodoulides said developments should be expected soon on the Cyprus problem and said Guterres shared the view that substantive progress is needed before the end of Guterres’ term, which expires at the end of this year. Erhurman met Guterres a month earlier and said that, regarding talks to resolve the Cyprus problem, this time must be different.
What steps do you think could help the two sides agree on confidence-building measures?
